A while back, we took a look at the top 20 anime that fans want to be watching as they leave the mortal realm. But what if it’s not enough to spend the last moment of your life watching your favorite series?
Then maybe what you need is a way to express your love of Japanese animation from beyond the grave…and through the grave, for that matter, with an anime tombstone like the one this craftsman made.
Most graves in Japan are located on the grounds of a temple, but the gravestone itself is generally purchased off-site from a stonemason, many of whom specialize in that particular item. It might sound like a decidedly morbid line of work, but such stonemasons dot the Japanese commercial landscape. In front of workshops or sales offices you’ll usually find not only a collection of solemn samples, but also a few lighthearted pieces of stone statuary that show off the artists’ skills.
Twitter user and gravestone mason Hide was recently in the process of rotating out some of his display pieces. Among those he intended to toss was the stone pictured below, which featured some elegant marbling and smooth detailing around its incense holder.
But since he was going to be getting rid of it anyway, Hide decided to first have a little fun and make something truly unique: a gravestone decorated with the cast of smash-hit idol anime Love Live!
Hide is pleased enough with his handiwork that he’s reconsidering his initial plan to throw out the gravestone, and muses that he might put it back in the display area for a while. He’s also coined the term itahakaishi, or “painfully nerdy gravestone,” adding to the crowing ita lexicon that also includes itasha cars, itachoko chocolates, and itaita snowboards.
While the Love Live! gravestone isn’t part of Hide’s normal product lineup, a certain amount of customization goes into every customer’s order, and as long as you’re willing to pay him for his work, we can’t imagine he’d turn down your request for an itahakaishi of your own. Just be aware that in Japan, gravestones are generally shared by all generations of the same family, so before you call Hide up, you might want to talk to your relatives and make sure you’re all fans of the same anime, and also ideally that you agree on who the best girl is.
Source: Jin, Twitter/@t_hide3